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The experimental weight-loss drug beloranib by Zafgen may work better than appetite-suppressing medications because it restores fat balance by prompting the body to generate less fat and burn the excesses. Trials also showed that beloranib's safety profile appeared better than those of other anti-obesity drugs, Zafgen said.

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The FDA fully suspended a late-stage clinical trial of Zafgen's obesity drug beloranib after a second participant with Prader-Willi syndrome died while receiving the treatment. Zafgen is collaborating with experts to determine why the patients developed arterial blockages. The FDA placed a partial hold on clinical trials for the drug in October after the first patient died, but smaller previous studies of the drug showed only mild side effects.

A study in the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology revealed diabetes patients were at an increased risk of developing Barrett's esophagus and potentially esophageal adenocarcinoma compared with those without diabetes, regardless of whether they smoked, were obese or had gastroesophageal reflux disease. However, researchers said prospective studies are required to further analyze the link between the conditions.

People with low gut bacterial richness showed greater adiposity, insulin resistance and dyslipidemia than those with high bacterial richness, a study in the journal Nature indicated. Another study in the same journal noted pronounced dys-metabolism and low-grade inflammation in patients with low bacterial richness, but such conditions may be improved somewhat through dietary intervention, researchers said.

Only 3.2% of diabetic retinopathy patients who took nepafenac ophthalmic suspension 0.1% developed macular edema at 90 days following cataract surgery, compared with 16.7% of those who received vehicle treatment, a study revealed. Researchers also noted better visual acuity and fewer lost letters in the nepafenac arm than those in the vehicle group. The results were presented at the American Society of Retina Specialists meeting.

Zafgen said in a regulatory filing that it secured an additional $3 million in a Series C financing round from Atlas Venture and Third Rock Ventures. Beloranib, the firm's lead drug candidate, is an experimental weight-loss treatment that inhibits an enzyme that regulates the production and use of fatty acids. Zafgen is preparing a midstage trial.